This is pretty heinous.
No, I am not saying it is as bad as a sexual assault of a child.
Its just heinous and callous. Stealing flowers from the graves of veterans?
Honor them like this boy is doing. Bring them flowers like he is doing.
Steal flowers from them?
Unbelievable!Flower thieves hit Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery
Karen Grace - KENS 5 Eyewitness News
They died protecting our country, but who is protecting them?
Thieves are stealing from graves at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, and they're doing it in broad daylight.
One Vietnam veteran says it is the ultimate disgrace to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
"There are people laying out in that cemetery that gave their lives for this country," Col. Tom Gaither said. "What you have is people going on federal property, and stealing at the very least."
Gaither is appalled and peeved that thieves have been combing the graves of veterans to steal flowers and metal containers.
"They smelter them down. I'm sure that they're either bronze or copper. Same reason we have problems with people going around cutting copper tubing off of air conditions," he said.
What upsets him more is he feels the law is neglecting to patrol the property.
"Neither gate guards nor military police have jurisdiction," Gaither said.
When Alamo Heights Councilwoman Jill Souter witnessed a woman helping herself to flowers, she took down the suspect's license plate number. She asked a guard to do something about it but was told, "He had no jurisdiction as a private employee."
A director told her that the cemetery was the San Antonio Police Department's jurisdiction.
"Basically what the lady said was that the dead people don't really need these flowers and I've got a use for them," Gaither said.
What could that be?
"I'd be happy to tell you what I think is going on," Gaither said. "They're picking up the flowers and taking them home and rewrapping them, and repackaging them and selling them back to you on the side of street."
SAPD has the case. Cemetery management would not comment on the thefts.
